Strategies

What Works for Health includes evidence-informed strategies to create communities where everyone can thrive.

56 Strategies
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Seller & server minimum age

Require a minimum age for sellers in off-premise locations that sell alcohol and servers and bartenders in on-premise locations
Evidence Rating:
Insufficient Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Alcohol and drug use

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Smoke-free policies for indoor areas

Implement private sector rules or public sector regulations that prohibit smoking indoors or restrict it to designated, often outdoor, areas
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Smoke-free policies for multi-unit housing

Implement private sector rules or public sector regulations that prohibit smoking in and around multi-unit housing
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Smoke-free policies for outdoor areas

Implement private sector rules or public sector regulations that prohibit smoking outdoors or restrict it to designated areas
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Social host laws

Adopt laws that hold private property owners who provide alcohol to minors or obviously intoxicated individuals on their property liable if someone is killed or injured as a result
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion

Community Conditions

  • Alcohol and drug use

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Statewide comprehensive tobacco programs

Coordinate state and community-level cessation and prevention interventions and provide information on the dangers of tobacco using a combination of educational, regulatory, clinical, social, and economic strategies
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use

Syringe services programs

Provide sterile injection equipment and often other treatment and referral services to people who inject drugs; also called needle or syringe exchange programs and needle syringe programs
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Alcohol and drug use

Societal Rules

  • Laws and policies

Tobacco cessation contests

Encourage participants to quit using tobacco by a set date or during a specific time period and give successful participants a chance to win financial rewards or other prizes; often called Quit & Win contests
Evidence Rating:
Insufficient Evidence

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use

Tobacco cessation therapy affordability

Reduce patients’ out-of-pocket costs for tobacco cessation therapies such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and cessation counseling participation
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported

Community Conditions

  • Tobacco use